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On December 20, 2015, beloved friend, mentor, teacher and coach Allan Sepkowitz suffered a massive bleed in his brain. After undergoing brain surgery, it seemed that Coach was on the mend, though it was sure to be a long road to recovery.
Then, on January 8th, Coach was transferred back to the hospital from the rehab facility where he was undergoing treatment. It seems that an infection had moved in and caused swelling of the brain which required doctors to remove a section of his skull to relieve pressure on the brain.
At this point, it has been 7 days since the last surgery, and coach is showing minimal improvement, though his wife of 36 years, June tells me that he is trying to communicate via hand squeezes and the occasional word.
For those of you who don't know Coach Sep (as he is lovingly known), let me introduce you to this amazing man who impacted so many lives of his students and players.
Allan Sepkowitz was born in the Texas Panhandle town of Amarillo in 1940. He is a first generation American born to parents from Russia and Poland who emigrated to the United States before his birth. His father owned a shoe store and his mother worked in a department store. He has one younger brother, Jerry, a lawyer in Oklahoma City. He was raised in Amarillo and attended Amarillo High School from 1954-58 where he played football.
In 1958 he boarded a train for Las Cruces where he attended New Mexico State University on a football scholarship. He played all four years for the Aggies and garnered two Sun Bowl victories in 1959 and 1960. His 1960 team went undefeated and finished 16th in the national polls.
In 1965 he received his teaching certification and was hired as an assistant football coach at Burges High School. But as fate would have it, his friend and former NMSU teammate J.W. Witt, who was the head coach at Andress, offered him an assistant coaching position. And thus began the legacy that lasted 47 years. He was head track coach from 1970-75. In 1976 he was named head football coach of the Andress Eagles. He won his first District championship in 1977. In 1978 he won his first Bi-District championship. He taught biology until 2008 when he became the Athletic Coordinator.
Coach Sepkowitz wass an institution at Andress. He was known as the dean of borderland high school coaches. He has compiled an unparalleled record among El Paso coaches, racking up 258 wins and holds the title of winningest high school coach in El Paso TX. He is #20 on the list of all time winningest coaches in Texas high school football history. He has amassed 14 District championships, 17 Bi-District championships and one Regional championship in 1990 when his team had a 12-1 record and defeated Midland Lee twice that year, the second time at Texas Stadium for the regional championship. His 2004 team had an 11-1 record. His final season saw his team go 8-4.
So many of his former students around the world are praying for a recovery for our beloved coach. Please know that when approached about providing financial assistance, his wife June told me "Allan and I are too proud to ever ask for assistance, I only hope we saved enough to cover his expenses". As many of you know, even with insurance, medical care and long term care are expensive.
Coach Sep gave so much to so many, it is now time for us to give back. Your donation would go a long way to help defray some of the expenses that are sure to be astronomical.
On behalf of the Sepkowitz family, I thank you for your prayers, and your generosity.
Then, on January 8th, Coach was transferred back to the hospital from the rehab facility where he was undergoing treatment. It seems that an infection had moved in and caused swelling of the brain which required doctors to remove a section of his skull to relieve pressure on the brain.
At this point, it has been 7 days since the last surgery, and coach is showing minimal improvement, though his wife of 36 years, June tells me that he is trying to communicate via hand squeezes and the occasional word.
For those of you who don't know Coach Sep (as he is lovingly known), let me introduce you to this amazing man who impacted so many lives of his students and players.
Allan Sepkowitz was born in the Texas Panhandle town of Amarillo in 1940. He is a first generation American born to parents from Russia and Poland who emigrated to the United States before his birth. His father owned a shoe store and his mother worked in a department store. He has one younger brother, Jerry, a lawyer in Oklahoma City. He was raised in Amarillo and attended Amarillo High School from 1954-58 where he played football.
In 1958 he boarded a train for Las Cruces where he attended New Mexico State University on a football scholarship. He played all four years for the Aggies and garnered two Sun Bowl victories in 1959 and 1960. His 1960 team went undefeated and finished 16th in the national polls.
In 1965 he received his teaching certification and was hired as an assistant football coach at Burges High School. But as fate would have it, his friend and former NMSU teammate J.W. Witt, who was the head coach at Andress, offered him an assistant coaching position. And thus began the legacy that lasted 47 years. He was head track coach from 1970-75. In 1976 he was named head football coach of the Andress Eagles. He won his first District championship in 1977. In 1978 he won his first Bi-District championship. He taught biology until 2008 when he became the Athletic Coordinator.
Coach Sepkowitz wass an institution at Andress. He was known as the dean of borderland high school coaches. He has compiled an unparalleled record among El Paso coaches, racking up 258 wins and holds the title of winningest high school coach in El Paso TX. He is #20 on the list of all time winningest coaches in Texas high school football history. He has amassed 14 District championships, 17 Bi-District championships and one Regional championship in 1990 when his team had a 12-1 record and defeated Midland Lee twice that year, the second time at Texas Stadium for the regional championship. His 2004 team had an 11-1 record. His final season saw his team go 8-4.
So many of his former students around the world are praying for a recovery for our beloved coach. Please know that when approached about providing financial assistance, his wife June told me "Allan and I are too proud to ever ask for assistance, I only hope we saved enough to cover his expenses". As many of you know, even with insurance, medical care and long term care are expensive.
Coach Sep gave so much to so many, it is now time for us to give back. Your donation would go a long way to help defray some of the expenses that are sure to be astronomical.
On behalf of the Sepkowitz family, I thank you for your prayers, and your generosity.
Organizer and beneficiary
June Sepkowitz
Beneficiary